So I was replaying LoM for the first time in a long time, and I beat it and the game reset to the beginning. I can't get inspiration for my actual stories, but apparently inspiration will come when I have a drabble idea ;P
We had done it, we beat the darkness that had been consuming the Mana Tree and slowly filling the world with darkness. The battle…it had been easier then expected, I couldn't say I wasn't happy. And soon Sproutlings were floating in from everywhere, all to heal the Mana tree.
And then everything was dark.
Remember me!
Need me!
I can provide you with everything!
I am love.
Find me and walk beside me.
I woke with a jolt and looked around…wasn't I just at the Mana tree? Why was I back in my room.? I got up and walked over to Lil Cactus to tell him what had happened at the Mana Tree, but the words refused to form in my mouth. How odd… Frowning, I walked over to check his diary and saw with a smile he'd been keeping track of my adventures. Walking down the stairs, I called to my apprentices, knowing that Bud would be furious that I had fought the Mana Goddess without him. But I got no reply, and when I passed the last stair I saw my home was empty of everyone but me, and a small green chest off to the left of the room. When I opened it I found 100 Lucre, which I didn't remember putting there.
I left the house and noticed something odd, a Sproutling outside my door. Why wasn't he at the Mana Tree? Confused, I walked over to speak with him.
"The world can be shaped by your imagination! Did you know that?" Hadn't this Sproutling asked me that before?
"Yes, I knew that." I knew that now, from shaping nearly all of Fa'Diel.
"Here." The Sproutling handed me some building blocks, which I remembered easily. But why wasn't it how it was supposed to be? "This is the town of Domina." I know that! But why isn't it a days walk from my house like it used to be? I put the blocks in my pocket and went to find Bud and Lisa, maybe they'd know what was going on. They weren't in the Orchard, but Trent was and all of the produce I had planted before going to the Mana Tree had ripened. But he didn't know who I was talking about when I asked him about my apprentices. So I checked the Workshop for them, seeing my weapons, Golems, and instruments all still there, but no Bud and Lisa. They weren't at the ranch either, but all of by pets were there, just how I had left them before I left. But where were my apprentices? Maybe it had something to do with Domina becoming blocks?
So I left my house and set the blocks on the ground, and in a beam of light and color I could now see Domina in the distance.
Entering town, I could have sworn I was trapped in the dream world, what I was seeing was a memory.
"At least give me your name!" Duelle called at Elazul, like he did when I first saw them and probably when the first met at the start of this entire journey.
"Elazul." And then the Jumi Knight was gone, he'd disappeared into the Tavern. Duelle walked back to the shop, just like the first day I'd come to Domina. What was going on?
There was only one difference in what was going on then what had happened originally, when I went to walk into the Tavern Niccolo didn't bump into me. That made me think this was more of a dream world I was trapped in, Niccolo would be around here somewhere acting as a guide for a price, however he'd gotten in here. So I wandered town until I found him, wandering where he'd been…the first day I met him, in the north part of town. So I spoke to him, hoping to get somewhere else in this dream world.
"Hello! I'm Niccolo the traveling merchant." He doesn't…remember me? But I got his memory back, didn't I? But he carried on, and I was sure that we were having the exact same conversation we did when we met, and I was positive when we went to Teapo and the entire scene was a repeat from my memory. Just like before, Niccolo gave me the Old Wheel I knew fondly as Luon Highway where Gaeus lived in the mountainside. So when we left Teapo yelling at us and left town, I rolled the wheel out ahead of us and in a rush of blinding wind, Luon Highway laid before us as it always had before.
One thing had not gone back to how it used to be in my dream, I wasn't having near as tough a time killing monsters as I used to. My weapons and spell were all as strong as I was, and we made it quickly to the Fork where Daena was walking around. And again, the past repeated itself. I wanted answers so I went down the south Fork to my Canyon (the road sign was still correct, at least) and made my way To Gaeus to try and ask him what happened. But he said nothing of use, he couldn't when the original information he gave me was about Trent and my orchard, and they were standing strong and healthy.
So in the end, we turned back around and took the other Fork which lead us quickly to another repeat, two bandits asking for money and inevitably calling their boss Mantis Ant to beat us up. I felt kind of bad that I killed him so quickly, even though it was the second time I'd fought him. Niccolo thanked me again and gave me what he gave me and the past, and told me to smile. Why would I smile? I was repeating the past!
He also gave me the Flame, the way to get to Gato Grottos where if I was thinking right, Rubens would be killed upon my visit by Sandra the Jewel Thief who would steal his core. After Niccolo left, I made my way back to the entrance quickly and hurried back to my house. The first thing I checked was Lil Cactus' diary, and just like when I woke up he had record of all of my adventures. So why did no one remember it? Was my home the only place not affected? I cursed and ran back down stairs and went to my study and noticed that maybe it had been affected, there were no crabs running around. But I had all of my encyclopedias…they were sitting like usual on a pile on my desk, even the ones that had been gifts were there. And their records were normal, all the people I'd met, the enemies I'd fought, the places I'd been. Everything was in tact, but why?
It was then I noticed something that had not been there before, a book with a creepy skull imprinted (not in gold like the others). The Forbidden Tome. The minute I opened it, I knew this was the cause of everything.
Wish to live in peace?
Yes
No
"Yes." The words disappeared, but nothing happened. Frowning I closed the book and re-opened it.
Wish to live in peace?
Yes
No
"No." The words faded, and I saw new ones fade in.
Want a nightmare?
Yes
No
I swallowed "Yes." The words faded and I heard a low peel of thunder, but nothing felt different. So I opened the book again.
Wish to live in peace?
Yes
No
"No." Again, the words faded and were replaced with new ones.
Want a nightmare?
Yes
No
After hesitating a second, I said "No." The words faded, and were replaced with a scarier message.
Wish to have a future?
No
…
I wondered what the dots were for a moment before I answered "No." The words faded and suddenly something seemed not right with the world as a loud peel of thunder rang out. I opened the book again and said yes to a peaceful life before walking out of my home when Pelican walked up and said that pumpkins were attacking the town. I sighed after she left, and decided one thing.
I was not in a dream, this was all real. It was my punishment for defeating my creator.
End
Ok, so that was more of a short story then a drabble. But I think it was good, even though it was written on caffeine at four AM.